1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for auto body repair, and in particular to a tool and method for shaped auto body filler material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods for repairing dents and other damage to automobile bodies are well known. Most repair techniques utilize a step straightening the dents as much as possible and then filling in the depressed areas with a "bondo" or other formable filler material, including plastic-containing and fiber-glass-containing materials. After the filler material is put in place over the damaged area, it is allowed to harden. The material is then ground and sanded to obtain a smooth surface which duplicates the original automobile body surface. The grinding and sanding process is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The additional time and labor greatly increases the cost of repairs since the filler material must be substantially hardened before it can be ground or sanded. In addition, sanding and grinding creates large amounts of dust, which requires cleaning and containment and poses health hazards to workers.
The time and energy spent waiting for the filler material to dry and then reshaping the filler material after it has dried fully adds greatly to the expense and effort required to repair auto body damage. It can be seen that if methods are used which decrease the amount of time and the labor involved with re-shaping the filler material, the cost and effort required to repair auto body damage could be greatly decreased. In addition, if the time required to wait for drying were reduced or eliminated, the speed of the process would be greatly increased. The present invention addresses these and other problems associated with automobile body repair.